Due to high operating temperatures, gas turbine engine blades are typically formed from a high density, nickel-based superalloy. Due to typical large flowpath diameters of gas turbine engines, the linear velocity of tips of corresponding turbine blades is extremely high. Hence, material at each blade tip exerts large centrifugal forces on the remainder of the blade. Any extra material at the blade tip cascades down the blade increasing radial blade pull. In order to cast longer blades, it is desirable to reduce the wall thickness at the blade tip to reduce radial blade pull. It is difficult, though, to cast long turbine blades having thin-walled portions near the tips. This is because a ceramic core, used during the casting process, shifts within process tolerances during casting, resulting in an uncertain position of the core relative to the tip of the blade. Hence, during the design process, wall thickness reduction at or near the tip is limited because of core shifting during casting. If wall thickness is reduced too much, the core may break through the wall near the tip during casting.